Work will start soon on a new trail and parklands through Melbourne’s outer east on the site of the former Healesville freeway reservation.
The 3.5-kilometre trail will run east-west through from Forest Hill, through Vermont and connecting to the Dandenong Creek Trail and through Eastlink Trail.
The new 35-hectare linear park through the former freeway reservation will be known as ngarrak nakorang wilam park and will connect from Springvale Road to Morack Public Golf Course and Boronia Road.
The route of the trail is part of Melbourne’s strategic cycling corridor network. This section connects both further east and west to other components of the strategic cycling corridor network.
The shared-use trail will run the entire length of the park and will feature seating, drinking fountains, lighting and signage at key locations to support cyclists, runners and walkers along the route.
Dedicated activity spaces along the trail will include play equipment, picnic tables, shelters, barbecues and accessible toilets.
Construction began this week and is expected to finish mid-2026, at a cost of $10.5 million.
The ‘ngarrak nakorang wilam’ name means ‘Mountain Meeting Place’ and was chosen by the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation. The name celebrates Wurundjeri Traditional Owner connections to Country and vividly expresses how parks bring people together.
The park was designed in consultation with local community to make sure it meets the needs of the community and has the right amenities in the right location.
A comprehensive vegetation strategy will also enhance the area’s biodiversity, with new plantings providing habitat for local wildlife including gang-gang cockatoos, kookaburras and echidnas.
The strategy also includes weed control and habitat improvements like nesting boxes to improve the area’s local wildlife and environment.
Member for Glen Waverley, John Mullahy, said: “The new facilities, walking trails and green space at ngarrak nakorang wilam park will transform how our community connects with nature and spends time together outdoors.”
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